I am of Kwakwaka’wakw and Gitksan decent. I have been influenced by my parents, grandparents, and late husband Vernon Stephens in my cultural understanding. A secondary teacher for 24 years, I remember how I was influenced by two teachers in my youth. This stayed with me and was a driving force for me to become a teacher. My passion to become an artist has always come from listening to grandparents sing, dance, and drum traditional songs. Later it was my late husband who instructed me, guided me, and pushed me to always go back to stories so that each piece has meaning.